Wellington West Coast and Taranaki Regiment

The Wellington West Coast and Taranaki Regiment was a Territorial Force unit of the New Zealand Army. It was originally formed in 1948 by the amalgamation of two separate regiments:

Wellington West Coast and Taranaki Regiment
Active1948–2012
Country New Zealand
Branch New Zealand Army
TypeInfantry
Motto(s)Ka pai te whakato te purapura ka pai te puawaitanga (Maori: "prepare the seed bed well and the crop will prepare itself")
MarchBattle of the Somme
Mascot(s)Ramilies (A Drysdale ram, 1989–1992)
AnniversariesInfantry Day - 23 October
Insignia
TartanBlack Watch

The regiment became a TF battalion of the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment in 1964 during the reorganisation of the army. This was until the later reorganisation of 1999, which saw the TF battalions split from the RNZIR to become multi-function battalion groups. The Wellington, West Coast and Taranaki Regiment became the 5th Wellington, West Coast and Taranaki Battalion Group, with the following unit types:

In December 2012 the regiment was amalgamated with the 7th Wellington and Hawke's Bay Battalion to form the 5th/7th Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment (5/7 RNZIR).

Battle honours

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The following battle honours were authorised to be emblazoned on the colours:[1]

The regiment is one of two unique regiments of the Commonwealth, in that it is one of two regiments to have its own country's name as a battle honour. This dates from the service of the Taranaki Volunteer Rifle Corps, from which the Taranaki Regiment is descended, during the New Zealand Wars, specifically in the Battle of Waireka.

The other unit to share this honour is the Cape Town Highlanders Regiment, a reserve mechanised unit of South African Army.

Alliances

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Freedoms

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The regiment was granted the following freedoms:[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b Thomas, Malcolm (1995). New Zealand Army distinguishing patches, 1911-1991, part 2. pp. 94–95.
  2. ^ a b "Alliance between Middlesex Regiment and Taranaki Regiment, New Zealand". 1950.
  3. ^ "History". WWCT Regiment. Retrieved 2022-03-02.